A Muslim organization distributed “Understanding Shariah” flyers at a public high school in Wylie, Texas, this week, officials confirmed. News of the matter circulated after the president of the school’s High School Republicans group exposed the organization’s activities.
The group, called Why Islam, provided hijabs, Qurans, and pamphlets to students.
District officials took responsibility for the incident and sent a letter to families that read, “Once we became aware, we immediately began an investigation. While that investigation remains ongoing, we have confirmed that district protocols for guest speakers and student club interactions were not followed. Ultimately, this issue stems from a failure to follow established procedures.”
“To clarify: Outside organizations are not permitted to distribute materials to students without prior approval from campus and district administration,” the letter continued. “Guests may speak only with official student clubs with prior approval and may address only students who have signed parent permission forms on file. In this case, the organization did not have permission to distribute materials, did not receive approval to speak with students outside of the club, and the club did not submit the required guest speaker request.”
School officials admitted, “Mistakes were made, and we take full responsibility. We are actively addressing the lapses and reviewing our internal procedures and staff oversight related to student clubs and guest approvals to ensure incidents like this do not happen again.”
Meanwhile, a separate school district severed its affiliation with an Islamic-themed athletic event after it donated to an organization considered a terrorist entity. The development comes as Texas has taken steps to limit Islamic influence in the state, including by designating CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization and calling for investigations into it and other groups.
